Elizabeth B, you are the winner. Please contact me asap with your address so I can send you your copy of The Thrift Book by India Knight!
Earlier this month I held a little competition to celebrate the 50th post on Being Creative. I asked readers to contribute their best ideas for doing Christmas well on less. Thank you to the lovely people who did and I look forward to publishing these at the end of my last post, 'More dash than cash', in due course. Elizabeth B sent me several suggestions but I was particularly taken with this one, "I also try to make gifts - if I think they'll be better and cheaper than shop bought versions. My family are all very tall - and I knit - so extra long mittens, for example, are well received." Although I carry around a mental list of which auntie doesn't like nuts with chocolate, etc, I hadn't actually considered that making things myself really allows me to customise the gift to suit the recipient. But it does, doesn't it? I mean, how many times have you seen something in a shop which would make a perfect gift if only it was more reasonably priced, had different buttons on or came in raspberry? So not only is Elizabeth B looking at better-made and less costly gifts for her family, she is ensuring that they are the right size and will therefore be used; so less waste of time, money and materials, too. Well done to you, Elizabeth! I wonder how many mass-manufactured Christmas presents have already ended up in the bin/charity shop because they were of poor quality or didn't fit? I picked up just such a gift this morning and a button fell off. Good job I'm handy with a needle and thread!
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